


the last hope for this galaxy

by ThirteenthMouse6572



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Whump, Whumptober 2020, chapter specific warnings will be in the notes, get ready fellas this one's gonna be a doozy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:34:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 15,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26741464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThirteenthMouse6572/pseuds/ThirteenthMouse6572
Summary: a collection of short fics for whumptober2020. mostly starwars but will probably have other fandoms sprinkled in, as a treat-x-see chapter notes for specific warningstitle from "Battle for Eternity" by Gloryhammer
Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody & CC-1010 | Fox, CC-2224 | Cody & Obi-Wan Kenobi, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Ahsoka Tano, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker, Peter Parker & Stephen Strange
Comments: 51
Kudos: 149
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	1. Let's Hang Out Sometime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan’s hands hurt. Well, to be honest, his entire body hurt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: hallucinations, implied kidnapping

Obi-Wan’s hands hurt. Well, to be honest, his entire body hurt. It had been a couple of days (maybe weeks?) since he had been thrown in the cell. It was quiet, both in sound and in the Force, and Obi-Wan kept hearing phantom whispers of people long-dead or that were too far away for Obi-Wan to even hear their echoes in the Force, let alone physically.

Although, he wasn’t sure if he was getting used to the pain of being hung from the ceiling, or if his body had decided that he didn’t need to feel it anymore. Both were slightly concerning.

The room was dark and humid, some kind of rough stone brick creating the walls around Obi-Wan. There was a door, but nobody ever opened it or walked past, so it just sat there and taunted Obi-Wan. Freedom: so close, yet so far. Chains being the only thing holding him back from just walking out.

As his body pushed him towards unconsciousness again (it was the only real thing he could do in the cell, sleep) he heard a blaster bolt. It wasn’t a new hallucination, but it certainly was a very clear one. Usually they were like echoes of past battles, rather than someone shooting something a couple of rooms away, but Obi-Wan wasn’t about to criticise his own hallucinations.

Another blaster bolt, followed by some kind of shout, which Obi-Wan ignored in favour of attempting to shift his weight from his wrists to his feet for even a few seconds. He managed to barely touch the ground, but the immediate protests from his ankles warned him against doing it again.

“Commander, down here!”

Obi-Wan didn’t want to get his own hopes up, but the shout sounded too clear for him to just be hearing things. He watched the bottom of the doorway in anticipation, barely registering his own pain. Loud footfalls echoed from outside the room, stopping in front of the door at the same time a shadow fell across the gap.

A loud bang of something hitting the door echoed through the room, making Obi-Wan wince. Another bang, and a familiar voice shouting. Obi-Wan braced himself for the door swinging open, begging his muscles to not give up until he was free.

One final bang on the door sent it flying open and light streamed into the room, blinding Obi-Wan. He closed his eyes against it, wincing.

“General,” Cody’s voice was shaky yet gentle. “General, can you hear me?"  
  
Obi-Wan nodded. “C-Cody,” he rasped. “It’s… good to hear your voice.”

“We’ll get you out of here, sir. Just relax.” Obi-Wan hummed in affirmation and relaxed his muscles as much as he could.

As soon as the chains holding him up were cut, Obi-Wan collapsed into (presumably) Cody’s arms. He heard Cody shout to someone, but he was already on the verge of unconsciousness from the relief of not holding himself up. “C’dy,” he tried, but he was interrupted with a shushing noise.

“Rest, sir. We’ll get you home safe.”

That was enough for Obi-Wan, who promptly passed out in the Commander’s hold.


	2. In the Hands of the Enemy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan looked helplessly between his Padawans. Anakin looked angry, and Ahsoka annoyed, but Obi-Wan knew they were both scared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: hostage situations

Obi-Wan looked helplessly between his Padawans. Anakin looked angry, and Ahsoka annoyed, but Obi-Wan knew they were both scared. Could feel it through the Force bonds.

“Well, Kenobi?” Maul’s presence had never been despised more, not even on Naboo that one fateful day. “Choose, or I’ll choose for you.”

If he chose either one of them, the other would never forgive him. It wasn’t a choice of who Maul would kill, it was a choice of whose anger Obi-Wan could live with the most. If he chose Anakin, Ahsoka would lose an older brother and mentor; yet if he chose Ahsoka, Anakin would lose his sister and tip ever further towards the Dark Side (Obi-Wan could see it, feel it, and he was desperately hoping Anakin would notice too).

“Obi-Wan,” Anakin said warily. Both of them were all but shouting their worries into the Force bond, and Obi-Wan had to concentrate really hard not to react externally. ‘ _Choose me, you know Ahsoka has too much life left to die like this.’_ Obi-Wan looked to Anakin, who was staring back expectedly. He then looked to Ahoska, who had a poker face which was somewhat ruined by tears.

“Maul,” Obi-Wan said, taking a step forward. “I volunteer myself. Let them go.”

Maul smirked. “Oh, Kenobi, that’s not how this works.”

“You said I had to choose. I choose myself.”

“Master!”

“Obi-Wan!"

Obi-Wan ignored the shouts from Ahsoka and Anakin, and focused on Maul’s growing thoughtful look. “Living up to your title, Kenobi. I accept your offer.” He stepped back from Anakin and Ahsoka, who ran up to Obi-Wan immediately

“Obi-Wan why did you do that?” Anakin asked, grabbing Obi-Wan’s robe. “You know–”

“I know, Anakin.” Obi-Wan gently pried Anakin’s hands off his robe. “Let me do this. You two are my top priority. What Maul might do to me has nothing on what he might’ve done to either of you.”

“But he hates you!” Ahsoka shouted.

Obi-Wan nodded. “He does. Which is why I can’t let him get a hold of you two. I’ll be fine.” He kneeled in front of Ahsoka and took her hands in his own. “Keep Anakin out of trouble, Ahsoka. You know how he gets.” Ahsoka laughed wetly and wiped away tears.

Obi-Wan stood and turned to Anakin. He gently pressed their foreheads together, trying not to let Anakin’s shaking dissuade him. “Keep her safe. Keep yourself safe. I trust you, Anakin. You have a brilliant life ahead of you, I know it. Both of you should stick around to find out.”

Pulling away from Anakin, he gave one final nod to both of them and began walking towards the smug-looking Maul. Through the Force bond, he sent one final message before severing it.

_I love you both. I’m so proud._

“Come, Kenobi. I have some plans for you.”


	3. My Way or the Highway

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here he was, standing in front of Zargothrax with nothing protecting him from the Knife of Evil that was being spun oh-so-casually, like one would fiddle with a pencil while not listening in class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: stabbing, corruption, mentioned minor character death
> 
> if you know what fandom this is from, please message me because i need someone to yell about it with. if you don't, this can be read as some wack original fiction. either way, i hope you enjoy

This certainly wasn’t part of the plan.

The Deathknights of Crail should’ve been all vaporised alongside Proletius when Ralathor shot missiles at them. Apparently some of them managed to survive and catch Angus off-guard. Now here he was, standing in front of Zargothrax with nothing protecting him from the Knife of Evil that was being spun oh-so-casually, like one would fiddle with a pencil while not listening in class.

“Angus, how nice of you to join me,” Zargothrax said smugly.

Angus glared at the Sorcerer, still keeping an eye on the Knife warily. “Zargothrax,” he spat. “What do you want?”

Zargothrax looked at him like it was the most obvious thing in the universe. “To take over the Kingdom of Fife, and to make you watch as I do.” He stopped spinning the Knife to glance at its inky black blade, swirling like a galaxy. “Optionally, I would enjoy making you conquer it for me, but that’s the backup plan.”

“You’re going to lose, Zargothrax,” Angus said. “The Hootsforce has already defeated Proletius and the Deathknights. You won’t last very long either.”

Zargothrax laughed. “Who will stop me? You? That hermit, Ralathor?”

A bolt of lightning lit up the sky above Dundee which made Angus’ hair stand on end with the static in the air. “Zargothrax!”

The Hootsman could’ve arrived earlier, but Angus decided that now was better than never. Zargothrax looked less than pleased with the interruption, because the next thing Angus knew, the Knife of Evil was at his throat and he was trapped in Zargothrax’ hold.

A submarine landed behind the Hootsman and Ralathor stepped out, walking up beside the God. “McFife?” Hootsman asked, clearly confused about the situation.

“Hey,” Angus replied.

“If you don’t surrender right now, then your mighty Prince won’t be on your side anymore,” Zargothrax snarled.

Angus looked down at the Knife, precariously close to his throat and back to Ralathor and Hootsman. “Don’t surrender. Whatever you do, don’t surrender. My life isn’t worth the Kingdom of Fife,” he said.

“What, and let this asshole corrupt you? Think again.” Hootsman crossed his arms and glared. Thunder rumbled in the sky threateningly, but Zargothrax didn’t seem to care. The Knife pressed closer to Angus’ throat, making Angus tilt his head up to get away from it.

Ralathor and Hoots shared a look, communicating silently. Angus sent a silent prayer to Hoots (who clearly got it, based on the glance he gave Angus) to not surrender; to not let Zargothrax win that easily.

Ralathor sighed loud enough that Angus heard it and stepped forward. “We’re not going to surrender, Zargothrax. You’ve caused the destruction of one world already; we’re not going to give this one up just like that.” It was a strong speech, Angus could give him that.

Zargothrax laughed. “Well then, if you say so.”

Now, Angus had been stabbed before. He’d been thrown off an eagle, nearly impaled by a unicorn, drank enough that he was out cold for two days with a headache. But nothing had prepared him to be stabbed in the chest by the Knife of Evil.

It didn’t feel like anything at first, then came the pain that Angus could only describe as, well, ‘Evil’. It was freezing cold yet boiling hot, concentrated yet all-encompassing, it made him angry and terrified as he could feel the corruption spreading over his body.

He made eye contact with Hoots and Ralathor once more, determined to at least go out looking somewhat like the Prince of Fife that he is. _You better defeat Zargothrax or I’ll haunt you both_ , he threatened Hoots, who nodded determinedly.

Angus stood up as soon as Zargothrax removed the Knife and let him go. “You know what to do, _Prince_ ,” Zargothrax snarled, placing the Astral Hammer beside him. Angus took the Hammer and nodded.

“Yes, Lord Zargothrax.”


	4. Running Out of Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Plo could feel the uneasy restlessness of the three other occupants of the pod. If not in the Force, the way they eyed warily at the O2 level on the pod gave it away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: implied sacrifices, implied suffocation

Plo could feel the uneasy restlessness of the three other occupants of the pod. If not in the Force, the way they eyed warily at the O2 level on the pod gave it away. It wasn’t going down all that fast, but it was quick enough that they would only last them an hour at the most.

“General? If the air gets too low, you’re the most important person in here,” Wolffe said. Boost and Comet nodded in agreement, but Plo frowned.

“You three are just as important as I am. Yes, we are on limited oxygen, but that does not make any one life more important than the others,” Plo said. Boost looked like he was about to say something, but he closed his mouth when Plo looked to him. “We will continue trying to restore the systems to the pod until we get a transmission from our rescuers.”

The three clones nodded and returned to their tasks, as Plo closed his eyes and reached out into the Force once again.

\---

There was only 20 minutes left of oxygen in the pod and Plo knew the clones were starting to panic. After 40 minutes with no power restored or communication in the Force or through the pod’s comm unit, morale was lowering.

They were all getting drowsy from the slowly lowering oxygen levels, so Plo had told them to take a break from working on the pod. Boost and Comet were leaning against each other, and Wolffe was fidgeting with his hands and staring at the floor.

“Wolffe,” Plo said, placing a hand on Wolffe’s forearm. He carefully projected _calm_ to Wolffe, careful to not spook the Commander. “I have utmost faith that we will be rescued in time. You and your brothers will be safe.”

Wolffe looked over to Boost and Comet, now asleep together, and back to Plo. “General, if we need to lower our numbers–”

Plo shook his head. “No, Wolffe. We will all stick together until help arrives.”

“Sir–”

“Commander, we will be okay. Rest up, I will continue to search in the Force.”

Wolffe hesitated, but nodded eventually and shuffled around to get comfortable. Once Plo was happy that Wolffe was close to falling asleep, he took a deep breath and reached further into the Force than he had before. It got thinner, in a way, the deeper he reached, but Plo was determined to not disappoint the remainder of the 104th.

Deep in the Force, Plo finally found a hint of another being. A familiar Jedi, radiating determination into the Force around him. Plo pushed himself slightly further to send a message to Skywalker, telling him of their location and the slowly decreasing oxygen levels, before he had to return to the present.

The emergency light was on when Plo opened his eyes again, and all three clones were awake and panicking slightly. “General, is there anyone coming for us?” Comet, who was kneeling in front of Plo now, asked. “We only have 5 minutes left.”

Plo placed a hand on Comet’s shoulder reassuringly. “Skywalker is on his way, we will be fine,” he said.

He didn’t mention how far away Skywalker was. He wasn’t sure if the Jedi would reach them in time at all. Instead, Plo let the three relax slightly. It was what they deserved.


	5. Where Do You Think You're Going?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vader was intimidating. Especially when trying to hide from him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: semi-horror
> 
> this is kinda short but i felt it ended nicely

Vader was intimidating. Whether it was the height and feeling of Dark constantly around him, the fact that Obi-Wan knew the man behind the mask, or a mixture of both, Obi-Wan would admit that the tall silhouette was… frightening.

Especially when trying to hide from him.

Obi-Wan was using all his energy to mask his presence in the Force, and it was draining him. Not only was the Sith close enough that Obi-Wan can feel him in the Force, Obi-Wan could hear the metallic footsteps on the floor outside the dark room he was hiding in.

He now knew what the characters in those bad horror movies felt like when hiding from the killer, and he felt bad for making fun of them when watching them with Ahsoka and An–

“Kenobi.” Vader’s voice sent a chill down Obi-Wan’s spine. Modulated and unnatural. And right outside the door. Obi-Wan pulled the Force around him tighter. His hands were shaking with the strain, and he knew it wouldn’t be long before he lost the grip and Vader found him.

The metallic footsteps stopped directly outside the doorway, and everything stood still. The Force was flooded with Dark and Obi-Wan was all but choking on it. The door slid open with a hiss, and Obi-Wan stared at the line of light coming from outside the room, lighting up a little bit of the room.

Vader stepped into the room heavily, the door closing behind him and once again flooding the room in darkness. Obi-Wan holds his breath, ignoring his lungs protesting, and eyes the stationary figure of Vader in the dark.

The room was then lit up with the red lightsaber and Obi-Wan froze as Vader turned to face him.

“Kenobi.”


	6. Please...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kid was vod, clearly. Ponds had seen that face around Kamino long enough to recognise it on sight. He never expected to be staring at that face from the wrong end of the blaster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: hostage situations, gun threats

The kid was _vod_ , clearly. Ponds had seen that face around Kamino long enough to recognise it on sight, even behind the layer of grime and anger. He never expected to be staring at that face from the wrong end of the blaster.

“Boba! What’s taking so long?”

The kid, Boba, looked back to the door but didn’t respond. He turned to face Ponds and the other clones once again and glared.

“ _Vod’ika_ ,” Ponds said, ignoring the blaster and looking at Boba. “Why are you doing this?”

Boba glared at him. “I’m not your brother. Your _Jedi_ killed my _buir_ , and now I’m going to make him pay for it.” A lot of thoughts crossed Ponds’ mind with that; one, how a _vod’ika_ could have so much anger, and two, that this Boba was Jango’s Boba.

“You’re Jango’s _ad_ ,” Ponds said. “I’m sorry that General Windu–”

“Shut up! Shut up!” Boba covered his ears and shook his head. “Stop it.” He pointed the blaster at Ponds again, finger hovering over the trigger. Ponds could see it shaking, and the glances he got from his fellow clones beside him.

“Boba, please…” Ponds said. “Think about this. Jango wouldn’t have wanted this.”

“ _Buir_ hated Jedi. He’d support what I’m doing.”

“Killing your brothers?”

That made Boba think. The blaster was slowly lowered, and Ponds noticed the shiny tears in Boba’s eyes. “I… They said it would be the best way to get revenge,” Boba said, falling to his knees. The blaster fell in front of Ponds, who had already gotten out of the restraints a while ago.

“Boba, _why_ is it taking so long to kill some useless clones!”

The door opened and the bounty hunter that walked in was met face-to-face with a blaster held by an angry Ponds. “The only useless beings I see are you and your crew,” he said. “Now, you’re going to turn us around and take us back to General Windu, and maybe you’ll get a light sentence.”

It felt pretty good, Ponds would admit, but it felt better when Boba clung onto his leg as a hug when the bounty hunter turned around. Nobody hurt his _vod’ika_ and got away with it.


	7. I've Got You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maul knew something was off when Kenobi barely moved as he approached.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: mild violence mention
> 
> sorry this one's later than usual, i had stuff today and didn't have time to write v-v

Maul knew something was off when Kenobi barely moved as he approached. He knew the Jedi was injured by the way he was holding his stomach, but usually Kenobi at least struggled to his feet like the brave little Jedi he is.

“Kenobi,” Maul said, stopping in front of the Jedi. “Finally given up, I see?”

Kenobi groaned. “Maul, you always show up at the worst times.” The smell of blood filled the air and Maul frowned. “If you don’t mind… giving me a minute to catch my bearings. I’ve already been stabbed once today.”

A wave of anger washed over him. He wanted Kenobi dead, obviously, but nobody else can _kill_ him. Maul is the only one with that privilege, not any old bounty hunter or droid.

Maul debated for a second before groaning to himself and stepping forward to where Kenobi was now struggling to stand up with help from the wall behind him. Kenobi got out a, “I would’ve thought you’d have mora–” before Maul all but picked him up. “I didn’t take you for a helping type, Maul,” Kenobi commented.

“Shut up before I finish the job,” Maul grumbled. Kenobi laughed, but it was cut off by a pained groan.

“Who did that?”

Kenobi looked up at him questioningly. “Just some bounty hunter after the credits on my head, I suppose. I didn’t see them very well because they ran off when you showed up.”

“Good idea on their part,” Maul said. He mentally added a note to track down that bounty hunter and show them who they’re dealing with.

“Why are you even helping me, don’t you want me dead?” Kenobi asked

“I want you dead, but it’s no fun chopping someone to bits when they’re not able to fight back.”

Kenobi huffed in response. “Elegantly put.” Maul ignored the sarcasm and grinned to himself. If he couldn’t fight Kenobi, he’d at least annoy the Jedi until he was bored.


	8. Where Did Everyone Go?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was very orange, was the first thing Peter noticed as he opened his eyes, like someone had used a weird filter on Instagram. The second thing he noticed was that it was quiet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: post infinity war
> 
> 30 whole minutes before midnight for me, i just finished writing this. call that a close call

It was very orange, was the first thing Peter noticed as he opened his eyes, like someone had used a weird filter on Instagram. The second thing he noticed was that it was quiet. Too quiet. With the spider powers, Peter would always be able to hear something, no matter how alone he was. The creaking of a house, the wind in the grass, a bug crawling across the ceiling. But here, it was silent.

He was slightly freaked out.

“Hello?” he called into the desert-like plains. “Mister Stark? Is anyone here? Mister Strange?”

“It’s _Doctor_ Strange.”

Peter whipped around, startled, and sighed when he saw the familiar sight of Strange, floating in the air about a foot off the ground. “Oh, am I glad to see you,” Peter said. “What is this place?”

“The Soul Stone,” Strange replied. “More specifically, inside the Soul Stone. I imagine we would find everyone else Thanos erased in here somewhere.”

Peter looked around at the orange landscape. “Then why is it so quiet?”

Strange thought for a moment. “Perhaps that is how the Stone works to keep people inside. It makes them feel lonely. I’m lucky to have found you in all this vastness,” he explained.

It made sense based on the limited knowledge Peter had accrued on the stones (practically none). If you were lonely and didn’t have the will to get out, then you were trapped in the Stone forever. “How did you find me?” he asked Strange.

“You give off a very unique aura,” Strange answered. Peter took it as a compliment and didn’t think about it too much.

The cloak around Strange’s shoulders floated over to Peter, seemingly thought about something for a second (can cloaks think?) before throwing itself around Peter’s shoulders and settling down. Peter froze at the sudden weight, which felt nice really, and looked to Strange for help. The magician looked confused and a little amused at the situation, but didn’t comment.

“U-uh, Mister Strange? Are we going to get out of here anytime soon?” Peter asked, gently tugging at the corners of the cloak, which complied and wrapped tighter around Peter’s shoulders.

Strange hummed. “Perhaps, if all the right choices are made. Time may pass differently here. It could be seconds in our universe, or even months. Only time will tell.”

Peter huffed and sat down on the sandy ground. He ran his hands over his legs rhythmically, trying to keep the slowly growing wave of terror, guilt, and sadness at bay. The cloak around his shoulders didn’t exactly help him, feeling like a weighted blanket.

“Peter?” Strange asked.

Peter rubbed at his eyes and shook his head. “I’m fine.”

Strange sighed and Peter watched the magician’s feet as he stopped floating and landed on the sand. Strange sat down in front of Peter, close enough away that Peter could still see Strange’s crossed legs while he stared down at his own lap, but not too close.

“Peter, do you want to talk?”

Peter swallowed the lump in his throat and shook his head.

“Do… do you want a hug?”

“Yeah…” Peter replied. He carefully and awkwardly climbed into Strange’s lap and curled up, clinging onto the man’s outfit as best he could. “Do you think… Mister Stark will get us out of here?” he asked.

“I think Stark would do a lot if it meant he would get you back Peter. In almost every dimension I saw, something failed because he was protecting you,” Strange said softly. “He’ll get you out.”

Peter nodded, not bringing up the fact Strange said ‘you’ instead of ‘us’. Mister Stark would save them. He always did the right things.


	9. For the Greater Good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke and Leia were prepared to fight Vader, that wasn’t anything new. Obi-Wan wasn’t as enthusiastic to let them fight their own father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: self sacrifice (sort of)
> 
> i really need to stop posting these things within minutes of midnight huh

Luke and Leia were prepared to fight Vader, that wasn’t anything new. However, when Vader was standing right in front of the three of them and Luke and Leia were still 100% prepared to fight the imposing figure. Obi-Wan wasn’t as enthusiastic to let them fight their own father, even if they didn’t know.

“Kenobi, we meet again,” Vader said.

“Vader,” Obi-Wan greeted, nodding his head. “It’s been a while.” Luke and Leia gave Obi-Wan a look, which he pretended to not notice. “I held up my end of the deal, are you going to hold up yours?”

“Obi-Wan?” Luke all but shouted incredulously. The Force was flooded with confusion from the two Jedi behind Obi-Wan and the two Stormtroopers behind Vader, which was entirely justified.

Vader laughed, which was grating on Obi-Wan’s ears as the noise was filtered through the mask. “You’ve lost your trust in me, Obi-Wan,” he said.

“Obi-Wan, what is Vader talking about?” Leia asked.

“I made a deal for him to spare you both,” Obi-Wan explained. “It’s for the best. The greater good.” He took a step towards Vader, who radiated smug satisfaction.

“What? Obi-Wan you can’t do that!” Luke was angry and slightly betrayed, and Obi-Wan winced internally at the memory of his father feeling the same way on Mustafar. “Obi-Wan!”

Vader turned to the Stormtroopers and nodded towards Luke and Leia. The Stormtroopers took one twin each and led them away. Thankfully, neither of them fought back and let the Troopers escort them presumably back to the ship and off the Death Star.

“Well, Obi-Wan, we’re alone again I see.”

“What do you want, Anakin?”

Vader scoffed. “ _Skywalker_ doesn’t want anything. I, however, have a few plans for one of the most wanted men in the galaxy.”

Obi-Wan was slightly regretting this deal, but only for selfish reasons. Luke and Leia would be safe for now, and Obi-Wan would just have to endure whatever Vader wanted. He had dealt with worse.

“Let’s go, then.”


	10. The Look So Pretty When They Bleed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Cody walked into their bunk room with blood dripping from beside his eye, Fox immediately grew worried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: blood

When Cody walked into their bunk room with blood dripping from beside his eye, Fox immediately grew worried. There weren’t many things that could cause bleeding like that on Kamino, and Fox was prepared to fight whoever was in charge of it.

Ponds was up immediately with Fox, already rummaging for the stolen med kit under one of the bunks. Fox gently ushered Cody to the floor and Ponds sat beside him with the med kit. Wolffe already took up his security role by the doorway, looking stoic enough that nobody would be bothering them anytime soon. It was a routine whenever one of them walked into the room in pain or injured, and they had it down after all the years.

“How did you manage this?” Fox asked, dabbing at the cut beside Cody’s eye. Cody sulked in response, which was what Fox expected, really. Cody wasn’t the talkative type, especially when he felt he ‘messed up’.

Fox discarded the wipe and took a fresh one from Ponds. He began cleaning the wound again, apologising softly when Cody flinched.

“Cody?” he prompted again. Cody mumbled something which Fox didn’t quite hear, and his cheeks went warm underneath Fox’s hand. Fox wiped away what seemed to be the final drip of blood from the cut and pulled away from being uncomfortably close to his brother’s face. “What was that?”

“I… tripped…” Cody said. Wolffe breathed humorously from the doorway and Cody turned and glared at him.

Fox blinked. “You tripped?” he asked. Cody nodded, ducking his head in embarrassment.

“It was an accident,” Cody said, tapping a rhythm on his knee with his fingers. “I-I should’ve watched where I was going.”

“It’s okay, Cody, everyone makes mistakes,” Ponds said.

Cody looked up, tears in his eyes. “I’m supposed to be perfect. Jango told me I was one of the best.” If it was anyone else, Fox would’ve thought they were arrogant and self-centred. With Cody, Fox was just angry at Jango for giving Cody a complex.

He looked to Ponds and asked for a bandage patch, which he took when it was held out. He gently tilted Cody’s head up so he could bandage Cody’s cut. “Hey, Cody, you can’t just be perfect immediately. I’m sure you’ll be one of the best soldiers to get off this damn planet, but for now you have to learn.”

Cody didn’t respond, but Fox knew he got the message. “At least you’ll have a cool scar,” Wolffe commented. Cody smiled and nodded slightly. Fox finished the bandaging, satisfied the patch would hold for the night.

“For now, try avoiding any more scars, hey _vod_?” he teased.

Cody fake saluted and grinned. “Yes sir.”


	11. Psych 101

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Anakin, this can’t… Sith and Jedi can’t have a Force Bond without serious repercussions. “We have to… break it somehow. However painful it may be.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: medicine
> 
> this is not romantic obikin, not even in subtext. at most it's queer-platonic

“Obi-Wan, are you okay?” Anakin asked. Obi-Wan was curled on his bed, hands pressed against his temples in pain. Anakin walked further into the room quietly and kneeled beside Obi-Wan’s bed. “Do you need medicine again?”

Obi-Wan shook his head. The Force Bond shook with the motion and Anakin held back a wince. “Anakin, this can’t… Sith and Jedi can’t have a Force Bond without serious repercussions,” he said. “We have to… break it somehow. However painful it may be.”

Anakin nodded. “I know, Obi-Wan. I’ve been looking in the archives, but I can’t exactly walk down there and ask for information on Jedi-Sith Force Bonds without raising some suspicion.” He gently wiped at the damp hair plastered to Obi-Wan’s forehead. “I’ll figure it out, I promise.”

The Bond shuddered again and Obi-Wan curled in tighter to himself. Anakin wished it was he who got the pain of the bond. He was the one who fell, and Obi-Wan didn’t deserve to be in pain because of something Anakin did.

“I’ll go get medicine,” Anakin muttered, standing. He quickly exited the room, wanting to keep Obi-Wan in the cool darkness of his room as long as possible. The medicine didn’t fix anything, really, it just numbed the sensation enough that Obi-Wan wasn’t in pain the whole day. Some days it didn’t work, so Anakin just sat there with his Master and did his best to not send anything through the Bond, lest it hurt Obi-Wan more.

Once he retrieved the medicine and a glass of water, Anakin returned to Obi-Wan’s bedroom and took his place beside the bed once more. “Here, can you take this?” Obi-Wan nodded slightly and pushed himself up into a sitting position with shaking arms. Anakin gave him the pills but kept the water so Obi-Wan didn’t spill anything on accident.

Obi-Wan took a few breaths before swallowing the pills with a grimace. Anakin held up the glass and let Obi-Wan take a few gulps before taking it away and placing it on the floor. The Force Bond went fuzzy as the medicine took effect.

“Thank you, Anakin,” Obi-Wan said softly. “I’m sorry.”

“There’s nothing to apologise for Obi-Wan. I know you’d do the same for me.” Obi-Wan nodded. “Now,” Anakin said, “go back to sleep. I’ll keep trying to find a way to break this.” He stood up from the ground, picking up the glass and walking towards the door.

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan called. Anakin turned around to look at Obi-Wan, tilting his head in question. “If we can’t get rid of it, you should know that I’d rather have this with you than anyone else.”

Anakin smiled softly. “Me too, Obi-Wan. I’m glad it was me.” 


	12. I Think I've Broken Something

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something bad was going to happen, and it was going to happen soon. After the conversation with Cody, everything went wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: post-utapau

It was a regular day when it happened. Well, not ‘regular’ since Obi-Wan was riding Boga back to Cody’s location after finally defeating Grievous, but a semi-regular day in the war nonetheless.

As he rode to Cody, something in the back of Obi-Wan’s mind set off a quiet alarm. Something bad was going to happen, and it was going to happen soon. Obi-Wan quickly nudged at the Force Bond he (still) had with Anakin but didn’t receive a response. He wasn’t looking for anything, since they were too far away for anything meaningful to get through, but it was comforting to know it was still there. 

After the conversation with Cody, everything went wrong.

Boga was scaling the cliff with ease, everything was looking good, when the quiet alarm turned into a very loud one. He reached towards the Force Bond in panic but found only the painful, broken threads of one that used to be there. Then, he was falling through the air with the echoing cry of Boga in his ears mixed with the blast from the canon one of his men was manning.

The fall into the water was short, but it felt too long as Obi-Wan frantically tried to process everything that happened. The Force Bond was broken, frayed ends tainted with a familiar and haunting darkness; he was just shot down by his own men; and the Force had suddenly just got a lot _colder_ , for lack of a better term. 

Hitting the water shocked Obi-Wan out of his own mind for long enough so he could push a rebreather into his mouth and swim to a patch of water where rays of light were coming through.

His body worked on autopilot to swim over and pull himself out of the water. His mind was elsewhere, reaching into the Force and trying to find an answer to what had just happened. The feeling of his men had changed within the Force, every one of them subdued and stonier than before.

Obi-Wan sat down on the rocks, robes dripping wet, and rubbed at his temples. He knew the feeling of a broken Force Bond when Master Jinn died, but this was different. It wasn’t broken because Anakin died, it was almost as if so much stress was put on it that it snapped under the weight. The darkness at the end, an inky blackness that left a bad taste in Obi-Wan’s mouth, practically gave what happened away.

He took a deep breath, blocking the Bond until he could fix the strands. At that moment, he needed to get to a ship and contact the Temple, or whichever Jedi could hear his call. Something had happened that turned the tide of the war, and Obi-Wan was going to find out how.


	13. Breathe In, Breathe Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Underneath his legs the waves of Kamino’s planet-covering ocean crashed against the supports of the facility, the sound mixing with the rumbles from the storm quickly brewing above.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: drowning

Sitting on the edge of the platform was freeing. It was a secret passed down from clone to clone, how to sneak out of a specific vent to reach an otherwise cut-off platform and sit out there with your thoughts.

Cody found himself there often, mainly after training sessions to cool down and go over strategies in his head. Sometimes he brought Rex out there as well when he noticed the younger CT needed some time away from everything.

Underneath his legs the waves of Kamino’s planet-covering ocean crashed against the supports of the facility, the sound mixing with the rumbles from the storm quickly brewing above. Cody leaned over the edge further, looking between his knees and down at the water. His centre of balance was precariously holding him on the edge, and even a small wind in the wrong direction would send him falling.

Lightning lit up the sky above him, followed by a loud crack of thunder. There was no rain as of yet, so Cody stayed on the platform for now. It was calming, listening to the angry storm. It was as if the storm was dealing with his emotions for him and he could just appreciate the view.

As a drop of water hit his head, Cody shuffled back from the edge and stood up on the platform, prepared to return to his bunk and fall asleep already. The air crackled as lightning struck one of the pillars of the platform, shaking it and nearly knocking Cody over.

Another crack echoed into Cody’s ears, but it wasn’t from lightning. It was the sound of metal snapping beneath his feet. The platform slowly started tilting and Cody fell to his knees, grasping fruitlessly at the smooth metal of the platform hoping to get a hold of it. For a second, it seemed like the platform settled enough that Cody could carefully crawl up it before the rain got too heavy and the platform was too slippery to climb.

Cody got a few meters up the platform before the supports finally gave out and Cody felt pure panic jolt up his spine as the platform quickly tilted so far that his precarious grip failed, and he slid down the metal and towards the ocean.

He had wondered about how the ocean felt, but he never dreamed about how terrifying it would be to fall into the waves. He was able to take a breath before he fell in, but the sudden hit into the water took his breath away and left him helplessly falling into the deep water. He tried kicking up, but the combination of his armour and the platform falling down on top of him just pulled him further down.

Cody’s lungs didn’t last long before they all but forced him to take a breath in, which just gave him the burn of saltwater in his mouth and down his throat. His body tried to fight the water, coughing it up but reflexes making Cody breathe in again, which just started the cycle again.

He wasn’t sure if it was the depth of the ocean or him drowning, but Cody’s vision slowly went blurry and dark. The pain of water in his lungs didn’t cease but his mind went too fuzzy to properly register it. Before he blacked out entirely, he sent a silent apology to his brothers in the facility; to his CC _vode_ who wouldn’t have their youngest brother there in training, and to Rex who would lose another brother among the many he already had.

Finally, he stopped fighting the darkness and gave himself up to whatever was after death.


	14. Is Something Burning?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter’s senses were going haywire. The heat, the noises coming from every direction, keeping an eye on four things at once, his mind couldn’t quite handle it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: spider-man homecoming spoilers (kinda)
> 
> this is a good guy beck fic

Peter’s senses were going haywire. The heat, the noises coming from every direction, keeping an eye on four things at once, his mind couldn’t quite handle it. An almost-molten rock nearly caught his leg as he was swinging and the sudden smell of _burning_ almost knocked him into a building.

“Mister Beck!” Peter yelled, watching him shoot at the giant fire monster with green smoke. No matter how strong the magic seemed, the monster seemed to care about it as much as Peter cared about an annoying fly. Peter made a decision to get Ned and Betty out of the Ferris Wheel first, confident Mysterio could hold the elemental off for long enough. 

“Night Monkey!” Betty shouted as Peter landed on the side of the carriage.

Peter frowned internally at the name but didn’t ask any questions. “Once I get you down to the ground you have to run as fast as possible out of here,” he said. Ned and Betty nodded in understanding. “Okay, I can only take one of you at a time.”

“I’ll stay, take Betty,” Ned said. Betty looked like she was about to protest, but Peter held out a hand in offering. Panic ran down his spine as another rock grazed the top of the Wheel, shaking it.

Betty took Peter’s hand and clung onto him for dear life as he swung her down to the ground. “Go, I’ll get your friend!” Peter shouted, already swinging back to Ned. “Ned, you have to go right back to the hotel with Betty,” he explained as Ned climbed over the side of the carriage onto Peter’s back.

“What about you?”

“I’ll be fine with Mister Beck.” Peter dropped Ned off where Betty was waiting. “Go, both of you!”

As soon as they both began running back to the hotel, Peter threw himself back into battle. He spotted a fire hydrant nearby where the elemental was standing and shouted to Mysterio. “Mister Beck! The hydrant!”

Mysterio looked at Peter, then to the hydrant, and nodded in understanding. Peter shot a web at the hydrant and pulled as he swung around, spraying water into the air. Beck got into a position where the hydrant was between him and the elemental and aimed another bolt of green at the elemental, bringing the water of the hydrant along with it.

The shout of the elemental made Peter land on the nearest building and cover his ears and squeeze his eyes shut, trying to block out the shrillness of it. Green light filtered in behind his eyelids and the suit’s lenses, followed by a sudden wave of heat, and then only the crackling of fire burning.

Peter opened his eyes and assessed the situation, thankful the suit protected him from the smoke. He carefully fought off the fatigue of a sudden adrenaline drop (which always seemed to appear at the worst times) and made his way over to where Mysterio was crouching on the ground, bent over his knees.

“Mister Beck?” 

“Peter, glad you’re okay kid.” Mysterio stood up and wobbled slightly, holding out his hand when Peter went to steady him. “No need to worry, I used up too much of my energy. You don’t look too good yourself.”

Peter laughed. At that point, everything seemed to hit him at once and the smell and feeling of the heat made him fall to his knees. “I think I just need to… lie down. For like ten years.”

Mister Beck patted Peter’s shoulder comfortingly. “Don’t we all. Come on kid, I’ll bring you back to your hotel. You shouldn’t be swinging around like this.”

Peter began to protest, but Quentin gently lifted him up and it felt like Mister Stark somehow, so he didn’t say anything except a muttered, “Thanks.”

“Anytime, kid. Just relax.”


	15. Into The Unknown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan knew he shouldn’t have brought Ghost Company with him. He knew that whatever was on this planet was dangerous, but he still let Cody talk him into bringing ‘backup’.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: major character death, blood mention

“Cody!”

Obi-Wan knew he shouldn’t have brought Ghost Company with him. He knew that whatever was on this planet was dangerous, but he still let Cody talk him into bringing ‘backup’. Now, Cody was lying on the ground, surrounded by blood-stained grass and fallen leaves. Obi-Wan cut down the apparently-sentient plant with his lightsaber and didn’t wait to watch it fall to the ground.

He fell to his knees beside Cody, confident that the rest of Ghost company would protect him and Cody from anymore plants trying to stab them. “Cody?” Obi-Wan asked, hovering his hands over Cody’s chest. There weren’t any holes in the armour, but Obi-Wan couldn’t see his back, where the blood seemed to come from.

The Force felt sluggish around Cody and, combined with the no response, Obi-Wan started to panic. He had never tried to heal someone before, let alone someone as close to… let alone someone in Cody’s state, but he was going to risk it.

He shouted a command to ‘keep watch!’ to Ghost Company and plunged into the Living Force, reaching out around him. The Cosmic Force was one thing, but reaching into the Living Force was overwhelming, like turning on a bright light when you’re tired.

There were so many things that were _alive_. The plants, the grass, Ghost Company around him, even the very soil itself was alive and glowing in the Living Force. Obi-Wan fought with his own curiosity for every little light and tried to concentrate on Cody’s life force, which was so dim that Obi-Wan could barely see it even if he was right there.

Obi-Wan reached for Cody’s life force, gently holding it. It felt quiet, not how Cody usually felt. He took a breath and carefully siphoned his own energy into Cody’s light. It felt like it was working, but there wasn’t much to go off considering he had never done this before.

As his energy depleted, Obi-Wan stopped pushing energy into Cody’s light. He frowned as he realised that the light hadn’t gotten any brighter. It looked like it had become… dimmer. Obi-Wan tried to give up more of his own energy to try keep Cody alive, but it didn’t do anything except make him more tired.

“Sir?”

Obi-Wan was drawn out of the Living Force by Boil’s voice and a hand on his shoulder. It was night, even though the sun had barely finished rising when the plant attacked Cody. He didn’t respond, looking down at Cody, who seemed more lifeless than when Obi-Wan started. “I can’t… I can’t save him,” Obi-Wan mumbled.

“You tried your best, Sir. We’ll give him a proper burial, but you need to rest first,” Boil said. Obi-Wan shook his head and stood up, wobbling slightly as he stood. Boil helped steady him with a hand on Obi-Wan’s forearm. “Come on, Sir. We’ve set up camp nearby, I’ll send Waxer and Wooley to collect the Commander.”

He was going to protest, but gave in quickly. He needed to rest. Cody wouldn’t want him to deprive himself of sleep; the Commander had said as much enough times. As Boil helped Obi-Wan to walk to camp, Obi-Wan noticed that the grass surrounding Cody seemed greener and the leaves were no longer brown and dead, there were even small flowers sprouting out of the ground.

Maybe he couldn’t save Cody, but at least he gave something to the planet who would become home to his Commander’s spirit. It was the least he could do.


	16. A Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Qui-Gon’s ghost wouldn’t leave him alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: hallucinations

Qui-Gon’s ghost wouldn’t leave him alone. Well, he wasn’t sure if it was a ghost or just his brain making up someone to keep him company in the desert wastes. Either way, Qui-Gon was always there in the hut, and the only time Ben had to himself was when he checked on the moisture farms for water.

Sometimes Qui-Gon would disappear for days or weeks on end and Ben would think that he was finally alone until Qui-Gon reappeared. As much as Ben didn’t enjoy Qui-Gon’s company, he didn’t like the loneliness and quiet when the ghost wasn’t there.

“Qui-Gon,” Ben said one day, sitting on his bed. “Are you here?”

Qui-Gon frowned. “Of course I’m here, Obi-Wan. You can see me.”

“Are you real? Is it the Force playing a bad joke, or my own head?” When Qui-Gon didn’t respond, Ben looked up at the ghost/hallucination blankly. “Give me an answer, or get out of my house. Please.”

“I’m real to you, aren’t I?” Qui-Gon said.

 _Yes_ , Ben thought. _But not real enough_. “You’re here.”

“You didn’t answer my question, Obi-Wan.” 

Ben glared. “Neither did you, Qui-Gon. Are you a ghost, or am I hallucinating?” he asked. Qui-Gon looked like he was going to skirt around the question again, but Ben gave him a look usually reserved for Anakin.

“The Force works in strange ways, Ben. If it wanted me to show myself to you, neither of us would have a say in that.”

Force, even Qui-Gon in Ben’s head was pretentious. “So Qui-Gon couldn’t even come see me. He could show himself at Mortis, but not come talk to his Padawan who’s stuck on a desert planet alone?”

The hallucination sighed. “I’m sorry, Obi-Wan. Ben. Padawan.”

Ben just glared at the floor. “Leave me alone, Qui-Gon.” Neither of them made a noise and after a few long seconds, Ben knew Qui-Gon left.

It was silent. Not a comfortable silence when you’re resting after training. Not comfortable where you bring your teenage Padawan tea that you know he enjoys even though he declined the offer the first time.

It was uncomfortable. Telling your Master (dead or not, ghost or hallucination) to leave you alone in the desert. Accepting that he was going to live out the rest of his life walking around a barely-standing hut thinking about what could have, what _should have_ been.

At least Luke was still there, across the horizon of the desert. Not close enough for Ben to be completely happy, but he would know if something happened to one of his only connections to Anakin. It wouldn’t be quiet and lonely forever. He had a job to do, and he wasn’t going to give up on it because the Force decided he was the one it was going to pick on.


	17. I Did Not See That Coming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “There may be someone in here, Sir,” Rex informed the General.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: ambush, concussion

Rex pressed his back against the crumbling brick wall as droids walked by. Fives and Echo followed his example, making no sound as the droids disappeared around the corner into a room. Rex peaked around the corner and motioned for Fives and Echo to follow him silently as he walked through the halls looking for the hangar shown on the blueprints they received.

“We’ve been walking for a while, what if this hangar doesn’t even exist?” Echo asked.

“According to the blueprints the hangar should be through this door,” Rex said, pointing at a door at the end of the hallway. It looked like a hangar doorway, but it had no markings on it to really differentiate it from any other door they’ve passed by.

As they reached the door Rex hesitated over the open button. Something told him this situation was off, but he shook it away. Everything was off in this stupid war. He looked back to the Troopers for a second before opening the door.

Rex held his blaster out, ready to take out the droids before they could take out the three of them. However, the hangar was empty. In fact, it was barely even a hangar, just a large cavern with broken machinery in it.

“Are you sure this is the hangar?” Fives asked. “Because I don’t see any ships in here. Or droids. Or anyone.”

Rex turned on his comm to contact General Skywalker, who was waiting outside the facility as backup. “General, there’s nothing here,” he said as the hologram appeared. “Just rusted machinery.”

Skywalker frowned. “The plans say there should be a new ship in there,” he said. “Are you sure there’s nothing in there, Rex?”

“There’s nothing, Sir. I can see to the other end and it’s empty.”

Skywalker hummed to himself and looked to somebody Rex couldn’t see. “Well, come back to the transport and we’ll think of a new plan. Contact me if you find anything interesting in there.”

Rex nodded. “Will–”

A clatter interrupted Rex’s response. He heard Fives and Echo load their blasters with a click and followed suit, scanning the dark corners of the cavern.

“Captain?”

“There may be someone in here, Sir,” Rex informed the General. The assumption was confirmed as a red blaster shot flew past Rex’s head. Rex shot into the dark where the bolt came from and was rewarded with a droid shout and clattering of metal.

“Rex? Do you need backup?” General Skywalker shouted.

More droids showed themselves from the darkness and began blasting at the three Troopers. “Might be helpful, sir!” Rex replied. “And quickly!”

The comm ended and Rex focused on shooting at the wave of droids as well as making sure Fives and Echo were okay. The walls opened to reveal a larger group of droids behind some kind of hidden doorways. Each shot from his blaster hit a droid, but it just seemed like with each droid Rex shot down, even more replaced it.

A large bolt caught Rex’s head and knocked him to the side and onto the ground. His ears rang as he hit the ground, disorienting him for a second. He came to with Echo’s voice above him shouting his name. “Captain!”

Rex reached for the blaster beside him and shot at a droid getting too close to Fives. A familiar hum nearly drowned out by a blaring alarm lessened Rex’s panic. His head was still fuzzy, but he managed to take out a few droids before the droids finally disappeared for good.

“That was fast,” Rex said, pushing himself up on shaking legs.

“Not quite, Rex,” General Skywalker said, placing a hand on Rex’s shoulder. “You were in and out for 10 minutes. How do you feel?” Rex blinked in reply, which made Skywalker nod. “Kix is waiting for you outside already.”

“Oh,” Rex deadpanned. “That’s not good.”

Fives nudged his shoulder to Rex’s. “Good luck, Captain.”


	18. Panic! at the Disco

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rex wasn’t afraid of much, except falling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: falling, slight panic attack, basophobia

Soldiers shouldn’t be afraid of anything. They were supposed to keep pushing forward no matter what, sacrifice themselves for ‘the greater good’. Rex wasn’t afraid of much, except falling. He was afraid of falling into the angry ocean when he was still on Kamino, afraid of falling when in open transport ships, and afraid of falling when walking across crumbling cliffs.

Being thrown from a wall by his General didn’t help in matters. Every time he was on a wall or cliff near a Jedi General or Commander, his muscles tensed in preparation to be thrown without warning. It was ridiculous, really. General Skywalker threw him because the wall exploded, but it would’ve been nice to at least get a warning.

“Why don’t you tell him, then?” Cody asked, shifting in his chair.

Rex huffed. “He’ll say something like ‘it was only one time, Rex’ and then drop it. I’ve tried it before.”

Cody frowned. “You should get him to understand it properly, vod,” he said. “It’s not something to just brush off.”

“Yeah, I will. Just, later on,” Rex replied.

The ‘later on’ turned out to be the next mission. Rex was following Skywalker through a cut-out in the side of a mountain. It wasn’t shallow enough for Rex to worry about falling, but it wasn’t deep enough for Rex to fully be calm about the situation.

Nothing should’ve happened for Rex to be flung out the side of a cave, but nothing ever goes right in the Clone Wars.

It was fast enough that Rex barely registered the explosion until he was halfway to the ground below, and then he just froze. He realised he had been caught at the bottom by the General, but his mind didn’t fully register it.

“Rex?” the General asked, looking concerned. “Rex are you okay?"

Rex knelt on the ground to stop his legs (and entire body) shaking with adrenaline and fear. He dug his fingers into the soil beneath his hands and tried to concentrate on his breathing. Skywalker kneeled in front of him and Rex concentrated on the space between his hands and the General’s knees.

“Rex, can I take off your helmet?” Skywalker asked. Rex nodded, too shaky to remove it himself. He tensed as the General first got a hold of the helmet, but relaxed slightly as it was pulled off and put to the side. “Are you okay?”

Rex took a few deep breaths and clenched his hands. “Yeah, I’m okay,” he said. His arms were still shaking, but it was just adrenaline at that point. His mind seemed to have realised they were on the ground and safe, finally.

“It was because I used the Force, wasn’t it?” Skywalker asked, sounding ashamed. “I should’ve thought. I know you don’t like it.”

“I–” Rex started. “I don’t like… falling. I know that soldiers aren’t supposed to be afraid, but I am. I hate heights because I hate thinking about falling from them.”

Skywalker placed a hand between Rex’s, making the Captain look up. “I’m afraid of something as well, Rex. I’m afraid that… that I’ll end up losing my family. I’d do anything to protect them, and it makes me do stupid things.”

“I thought you just had stupid ideas all the time,” Rex joked. Skywalker’s laugh in response made him smile.

“Maybe so. Obi-Wan’s told me as much,” Skywalker replied. It was silent between them for a few seconds, just sitting in each other’s presence. “You okay to keep going? No more heights if we can help it.”

Rex nodded. “Yeah, let’s go.” Skywalker stood up first and offered Rex a hand, which Rex took gratefully. “Let’s destroy some clankers, huh?”

Skywalker laughed. “Let’s go.”


	19. Broken Hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin– Vader– Whoever he was, didn’t know what to do. Padmé was dead. His beautiful Padmé…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: canon character death

Anakin– Vader– Whoever he was, didn’t know what to do. Padmé was dead. His beautiful Padmé… She didn’t deserve to die; she didn’t deserve such a horrible end to her life. Kenobi had left him sitting there, in the dust on Mustafar. Anakin could still feel Obi-Wan on the planet, hesitating in leaving. He hoped that Obi-Wan would come back for him and not throw away all the years they spent together. Vader hoped that Kenobi would come back so that he could end the Jedi once and for all. Revenge for what he had gone through.

Nothing would bring Padmé back though. His wife, their child, Anakin mourned them both. He was going to protect them, protect his family. Why did she have to be taken from him? Vader stayed there in the heat of the dust and lava, deciding what to do. Kenobi still hadn’t left, and Vader almost gave in to the urge to demand why Kenobi didn’t take care of her.

Anakin stayed, though. Obi-Wan wouldn’t let Padmé die for no reason. He should go ask. Ask what happened to her. What happened to their child.

He pushed himself out of the dirt and followed Obi-Wan’s Force presence, easy to find from the anxiousness radiating from around the Jedi. Vader found Kenobi sitting in the doorway into the ship, drumming on his knees. The Jedi looked up as Vader approached, surprise coming from the Force around him. 

“Anakin, you came,” Obi-Wan said, standing. “I… wasn’t sure you would.”

“What happened to Padmé?” Anakin asked, stopping a meter from the ship. “How did she die?” Obi-Wan hesitated, looking away from Anakin. “How did she die?” Vader demanded. 

Kenobi looked back to Vader. “She died in childbirth. She… gave up, Anakin. She had no will to live anymore.”

Anakin didn’t believe it. Padmé was so strong, surely she wouldn’t… give up. “I don’t believe you! She couldn’t have!” he shouted.

“I’m sorry, Anakin,” Obi-Wan said. “I’m so sorry.”

Anakin fell to his knees. Anger pulsed through his body. At Kenobi, at the Force, at himself. He was supposed to protect Padmé, they were supposed to have a _family_ together. Turning to the Dark Side was supposed to save them both. Now it’s just him.

“Anakin–” Obi-Wan started.

“Go away,” Anakin said. “Leave me here. I have nothing left.”

Obi-Wan took a step forward. “Anakin, you have so much left. Don’t throw it all away.”

“Leave me alone, Kenobi!” Vader shouted. “Get out of here. Padmé was all I had. There’s nothing left.” Kenobi hesitated but he nodded and turned into the ship.

“I’m sorry, Anakin,” Kenobi muttered. Vader stayed on the ground as the ship started up and pulled away from the ground.

It was silent on Mustafar as Kenobi flew away. Nobody else was there. Nobody else would be there. In times like this before everything went badly, he would’ve crawled into his Master’s bed and fallen asleep as he listened to the heartbeat beneath his ears.

But nobody was here. And Anakin Skywalker cried.


	20. Toto, I Have a Feeling We're Not In Kansas Anymore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Angus. You look different,” Ralathor said. “Alive, for one.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: death mention

Angus dismounted the unicorn and awkwardly patted its neck. It trotted away happily to a nearby grassy patch, immediately munching on the green blades. As Angus looked around more, he noticed that the grass in the valley seemed a lot brighter than on the other side of the Tay. In fact, everything looked brighter.

“Can I help you?”

Angus turned around quickly, pulling out the dagger at his side and brandishing it. The face he met shocked him slightly and he dropped the dagger. “Ralathor?”

This Ralathor looked different to the hermit Angus knew. For one, he looked _significantly_ younger, around Angus’ age if he were to guess. Secondly, this Ralathor looked relatively well-groomed and reminded Angus of some of the Knights of Crail from back home.

“Angus. You look different,” Ralathor said. “Alive, for one.” Angus frowned in confusion. What happened to this universe’s Angus? “But you’re not my Angus. Just as the Zargothrax who just took over Dunkeld isn’t our Zargothrax.”

Angus shook his head. “He’s my universe’s Zargothrax,” he replied. “From 1000 years in the future. The world was incinerated when we were trying to stop him summoning a hell demon.” Ralathor frowned, a sympathetic look in his eyes. “I’m sorry, for him doing all this,” Angus apologised, sheathing his dagger as an excuse to not look Ralathor in the eye (because it was strange to see someone he knew was dead, Angus told himself).

“Why are sorry? I take it you weren’t the one who decided to bring Zargothrax into this world,” Ralathor said.

“How do you know that?”

Ralathor raised an eyebrow. “I may not know you, but my Angus was the same. Always blaming himself for something bad happening.” He breathed out a short laugh. “I mean, he said it was his fault for Zargothrax being here. He was intelligent, but not very smart.”

Angus thought that was an insult to him, but ignored it. “I didn’t do it, but someone I was in charge of did. I could’ve stopped him, or kept Zargothrax in our universe. But now–”

“Angus.” Angus stopped talking at the tone of voice Ralathor said, which his father often used when he was doing something dumb as a child. “Angus, it wasn’t your fault. Even if it was, it’s done now and the only thing we can do is get that sorcerer out of here before he tries to summon that hell demon you were talking about. Got it?”

Angus nodded stiffly. “Yes, sir.”

Ralathor nodded. “Good. First, let’s go inside before it gets cold out here. Aberdeen may look pretty, but these valleys tunnel the cold really well.” He turned towards a small cottage on the edge of a small group of trees. Angus followed, determination and slight hesitation running through his body.

He may not have been able to save his own universe, but he could save this one.


	21. I Don't Feel So Well

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You’re really warm, Anakin. Are you sure you haven’t gone anywhere?”

“You’re really warm, Anakin,” Master Kenobi said, taking his hand away from Anakin’s forehead. “Are you sure you haven’t gone anywhere?”

Anakin wrapped the blanket around himself tighter. “I’m sure! I just woke up feeling bad,” he said. Master Kenobi hummed to himself thoughtfully. Anakin could feel the thoughts through the Force Bond, but his head was too fuzzy to decipher them.

A wave of warmth flushed through Anakin’s body and he discarded the blanket. He wasn’t sick like he sometimes got on Tatooine, he just felt _bad_. Too hot and too cold at the same time, and his stomach felt like it was trying to climb up his throat.

“Do you feel well enough to come out into the main room? It’s cooler out there,” Master Kenobi asked. Anakin thought for a bit and shook his head. “Okay, do you _want_ to go out there? I can carry you.”

Anakin nodded, ignoring the dulled embarrassment he felt by asking to be carried. Trying to cool down would be best, then he could get better and continue training with Master Kenobi sooner. Master Kenobi gently picked up Anakin and the blanket and brought him into the main room. Anakin was silently glad that Master Kenobi didn’t place him on the couch, and instead let Anakin sit on his lap. It felt nice.

“I think your immune system might need to get adjusted to Coruscant. You might’ve picked something up just from the temple, or even from myself,” Master Kenobi explained. “I should’ve thought of that before, I apologise Anakin.”

“It’s okay, Master,” Anakin said, shivering and burying himself into Master Kenobi’s arms. “I’ll… get better quickly. I’m strong!”

Master Kenobi smiled and breathed humorously. “I know you are, Anakin. You’ll be up and about in no time.” Anakin hummed and closed his eyes, leaning most of his body weight against Master Kenobi. He felt tired, despite just waking up a few minutes ago. “Sleep, dear Padawan,” Master Kenobi muttered. “You deserve it.”

Anakin didn’t hear the last part, for he was already soundly asleep in his Master’s arms.


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Your Highness,” Cody growled, “I must stick with my General at all times. Either I go into your rooms, or the General doesn’t.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: attempted drugging
> 
> obi-wan's pov of chapter 21 of cody's guide

As Obi-Wan and Prince Ru-dok reached the doors to the Prince’s rooms, the Prince stepped between Obi-Wan and Cody. “I’m sorry, Commander. Only invited guests are allowed into my rooms,” the Prince said, almost hissing.

Obi-Wan could feel Cody’s glare through his helmet. “Your Highness,” Cody growled, “I must stick with my General at all times. Either I go into your rooms, or the General doesn’t.” The Force felt slightly fuzzy for some reason, but Obi-Wan knew Cody was angry.

“Kote, cyare al’verde, ni morut’yc olar,” Obi-Wan said. “I’ll be out soon.”

Cody hesitated. “I’ll be out here the whole time, sir,” he relented. Obi-Wan smiled at him and nodded before following Prince Ru-dok into his bedroom.

The room was elegant, a deep blue covering the walls. While he was admiring the room, Obi-Wan ran into one of the posts of the bed. He giggled slightly and apologised for his clumsiness to the Prince, who was busying himself at a dresser.

“This is a lovely room,” Obi-Wan said.

The Prince turned around with a smile that gave Obi-Wan a tingle down his spine and something in his hands. “It is beautiful,” the Prince said, walking closer to Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan began to back up towards the wall, not liking the feeling the Force was giving him. “I’m sure it’d look even more beautiful with you in it.”

Eventually, Obi-Wan hit the corner of two walls and couldn’t go any further while Ru-dok kept advancing. Obi-Wan held up his hands and grabbed onto the bit of Force that he could still see clearly and pushed all of it towards Ru-dok.

The Prince crashed into a dresser as he fell, knocking a vase over and shattering it behind him. Obi-Wan’s legs shook with adrenaline but he couldn’t get out of the room without going past Ru-dok, who was already beginning to push himself up. 

Thankfully, the doors were kicked open and Cody burst in, anger seeping out into the Force around him. A blaster was pointed at Ru-dok and Cody’s finger was on the trigger. “Get away from him,” Cody hissed. Obi-Wan watched as Cody walked over when Ru-dok didn’t move and snatched whatever was in the Prince’s hand away, never taking his blaster away from the Prince’s head.

“Send Cross,” Cody said, presumably to Boil over the comms. “General, are you okay?” Obi-Wan looked at Cody and nodded slightly, still staying in the corner. Cody walked over to and placed a comforting hand on Obi-Wan’s shoulder, tugging gently. “Come on, cyar’ika, we’re going. The Council can send someone else.”

“But–”

“Ru-dok will be seen to by his own doctors, sir,” Cody said. “Cross is already on his way, and hopefully he’ll hold back Boil before he storms the place.”

Obi-Wan looked at the Prince once more, stunned on the floor, before he turned back to Cody and nodded. “Okay, let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kote, cyare al’verde, ni morut’yc olar = "Cody, my beloved Commander, I’m safe"


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ponds was more concerned about the way Mace was clearly off balance as he swung the ‘saber around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: death mention

Ponds watched Mace carefully as the Jedi cut down droids. The purple lightsaber was mesmerising as always to look at, but Ponds was more concerned about the way Mace was clearly off balance as he swung the ‘saber around.

Ponds made his way over to his General, shooting down any droid who dared get too close to the Jedi, whose movements were slowing down slightly. Ponds and Mace fought the droids in silence until Mace went to run further into the quieted wave.

“Sir, you’re tired,” Ponds said, grabbing Mace’s wrist to stop him going anywhere. “Don’t try to deny it, I can see it. You should go back to the ships. We’ve got this.”

Mace shook his head and Ponds knew he would have to drag the Jedi back to get him to rest. “Commander, I’m fine. I’ll rest once this is over.” Ponds didn’t have the time to respond before the Jedi pulled his wrist from Ponds’ hold and leaped over the droids, taking off heads with his lightsaber and attacking the wave from within.

Ponds sighed and signalled for the soldiers to continue advancing on the droids, hoping that the sudden attack from within the lines would disorient the droids enough for them to corner them and finish the battle. He shot droids in a relatively straight line as he walked closer to the General, who seemed to be handling the obvious lack of sleep pretty well from afar. However, as Ponds got closer he noticed the fact that each bolt Mace deflected knocked the Jedi slightly further off balance. He sped up the shooting, sacrificing aiming for pointing the blaster at a droid and hoping it hit.

Just as he got close to the General, the Jedi stumbled and fell onto the ground. There weren’t many droids left, but Ponds wasn’t risking any of them injuring his General. One droid that was aiming its blaster at Mace’s head subsequently got its own head blown off and its friends soon joined it in death.

“General!” Ponds shouted, closing the rest of the distance to the fallen Jedi. He kneeled beside Mace, picking up the lightsaber and deactivating it before strapping it to his belt. “General, can you hear me?”

Ponds placed a hand by Mace’s neck and sighed in relief that the Jedi hadn’t been shot. “Neyo! Grab Rattle, our General’s decided that a battlefield is a great place for a nap!” Ponds shouted to his fellow Commander, who gave a thumbs up and went off to grab one of the medics. “You’re,” Ponds said to the passed out General, “a pain. Next time I’m going to drag you to bed and strap you there, I swear on the Force.”

Despite him being unconscious, Ponds had a feeling Mace heard the threat. And it was one he was going to keep his word on.


	24. You're Not Making Sense

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin was lost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: sensory deprivation

Anakin was lost. He knew he was in a room, because that’s where he was before he lost his sight. He knew he could still talk but he didn’t make any noise in case someone was there. He could use the Force, but only barely. He knew he was being watched from somewhere.

He was sitting on a hard floor, although there was some sort of soft material between him and the ground. He placed his hands down beside him and gripped the fibres, trying to take his mind off of the lack of input to his brain. He couldn’t even hear his own heartbeat so he couldn’t focus on that. And breathing was too distracting.

The fibres were coarse under his hands. Like an old fleece blanket that had been washed too many times. It reminded him of the nights as a Padawan when he would climb into Obi-Wan’s bed after a nightmare, and how the blanket on Obi-Wan’s bed wasn’t very comfortable but the feeling of his Master’s presence in the Force was comforting.

The Force flinched with the echo of some loud action and Anakin held back his own flinch in response. An itch at the base of his skull told him someone was in the room with him, but they weren’t doing anything. Instead of focusing on them, Anakin went back to the material beneath him.

Something about it reminded him of Tatooine. Of sitting with his mother in the sand and trying to control the then-unknown powers he had. Trying to make the sand move underneath his hands and getting frustrated when it didn’t work.

He tried to concentrate further, but whoever was watching him did something to make his instincts focus in on the person as much as he could. They got close to him and Anakin had enough control to remain calm. Something rippled in the Force again which made Anakin tense. Whoever was in the room found it funny before the Force went silent again. Anakin wasn’t sure if they left or not, but he ignored it.

He just wanted to get out of there.


	25. I Think I'll Just Collapse Right Here, Thanks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The bomb went off with barely any warning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: explosions

The bomb went off with barely any warning. Not in the Force, not physically; it was silent one minute and then Anakin was among trees with ringing in his ears. He managed to push himself off the ground and activate his lightsaber in case there was someone nearby. Even if there was, he most likely couldn’t defend himself considering the ringing in his ears and general fuzziness of his head made him lean against a tree for support.

The blinking light from the comm caught his attention and he answered it, shaking his head in an attempt to clear his head. As Rex’s image appeared on the holo, the Captain immediately started speaking. Anakin, however, could only pick up every few words Rex said and just stared at the holo in confusion.

“Rex… I don’t know what you’re saying,” Anakin said, shaking his head to get the message across. Rex frowned and turned to someone Anakin couldn’t see. When he looked back to Anakin, Rex gave the signal for _wait there_ and _find you_ , which Anakin knew well. He nodded in agreement and closed the holo, rubbing at his eyes.

Anakin reached into the Force to try find where he was but all he received in response was a headache and the vague notion that he was in a forest, which wasn’t helpful considering he could still see. He couldn’t sense anyone else around him, so Anakin all but collapsed onto the floor and leaned against a tree. He still held his now-deactivated lightsaber in his hand in case anything decided to sneak up on him.

At that moment, he was just going to sit still and wait out the disorientation. He’ll probably be hearing ringing for the next year considering how it still hadn’t fully gone away. That’s a problem for future Anakin.


	26. If You Thought The Head Trauma Was Bad...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Rex, how many fingers am I holding up?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: temporary blindness

“Rex, you need to stop doing stupid things that will put you in danger,” Kix berated, applying bacta to the injury on Rex’s head. It wasn’t bleeding, so Kix was happy to just wrap it and send the Captain on his way.

“Next time I don’t see a ledge, I just won’t fall down it,” Rex said sarcastically. Kix shook his head and finished wrapping the bandage to secure the patch. He walked around the other side of Rex’s head to make sure it wouldn’t slip off, and noticed that Rex’s eyes didn’t follow his movement.

He stopped in front of Rex and frowned. “Rex, how many fingers am I holding up?” he asked.

The Captain hesitated, which was a problem on its own, and then said “three?” which confirmed Kix’s suspicion.

“Rex, you didn’t just hit your head, did you?”

Rex ducked his head. “I can’t see anything, Kix. There’s light, but I don’t know where anything is.” Kix sighed and kneeled in front of Rex. “I know you’re in front of me, because you’re making noise.”

“I’m going to have to touch your face and shine a light in your eyes, I need you to tell me if you see anything, okay?” Kix explained, grabbing a torch from a cart nearby. Rex nodded and Kix gently held the Captain’s chin and shone the torch into Rex’s left eye.

Rex flinched away from the light, which was a good sign. “That’s bright,” he complained.

“It’s a good sign. It’s most likely temporary blindness, but I want you to take it easy for a while. You’re staying in here so I can watch you, and no,” he stopped Rex’s complaints before they started, “you’re not going to convince me you can leave.”

Kix shined the torch into the other eye, receiving the same response. “I think I’d run into something,” Rex said, blinking as Kix put the torch away. “Just… don’t tell anyone?”

“Nobody will come in here if you don’t want them to. Although I feel like the General or Commander might want to know what’s happened.” Kix watched as Rex deliberated before nodding. “I’ll give you time to rest before I let them know. You don’t have a concussion, so you can go to sleep.”

“Thanks, Kix,” Rex muttered.

Kix hummed. “It’s my job, Captain.”


	27. OK, Who Had Natural Disasters On Their 2020 Bingo Card?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The power went out with a crack of lightning over the temple, plunging the training room in darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: nyctophobia

The power went out with a crack of lightning over the temple, plunging the training room in darkness. Obi-Wan sighed, expecting it to happen considering the size of the storm outside. The room was too big to light up fully with the lightsabers, but he could still see Anakin a few steps away.

His Padawan was frozen in the darkness, and Obi-Wan could see how the lightsaber shook as Anakin’s hand shook. “Anakin, are you alright?” Obi-Wan asked, stepping closer to his Padawan.

“It’s dark,” Anakin replied. Obi-Wan took another step forward and reached out for Anakin’s arm. Anakin dropped his lightsaber and all but threw himself at Obi-Wan, who had to drop his own lightsaber to catch Anakin.

“Shh, dearheart, it’s okay,” Obi-Wan soothed, running a hand through Anakin’s hair. “Here, sit down and we can wait until the lights are back on.” Anakin didn’t move for a few seconds, but he slowly knelt down to the floor, staying close to Obi-Wan as he sat.

Anakin turned his lightsaber up to the highest intensity to brighten it; not the best idea in Obi-Wan’s opinion, but he didn’t say anything because if it helped Anakin calm down then Obi-Wan was for it. “I’m sorry,” Anakin muttered. “I shouldn’t be so afraid.”

Obi-Wan placed a hand on Anakin’s knee. “Everyone is afraid of something, Anakin. I know of a few people who are afraid of the dark. All that matters is that you accept that you’re afraid. Being scared of your own fears is a never ending cycle which can lead down dangerous paths,” Obi-Wan said.

“Like the Dark Side?”

“Yes, like the Dark Side. But even a Jedi can be stuck in the cycle of fear and do something they regret, without any involvement in the Dark Side.”

Anakin thought for a second. “What are you afraid of?”

Obi-Wan was slightly startled by the question, but humoured his Padawan anyway. “I’m afraid that I’ll fail the people I care about,” he said softly.

“Oh…” Anakin replied. “Well, you could never fail me, Master.”

“Thank you, my dear.” Obi-Wan smiled at Anakin, who gave a soft one in response. The lights flickered above before eventually turning back on, which made both of them look up. “There we go,” Obi-Wan commented.

“Thank you, Master,” Anakin said, “for not judging me.”

“Of course, Padawan. Of course.”


	28. Such Wow. Very Normal. Much Oops.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan came to blearily and with sirens in the background.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: car accidents

Obi-Wan came to blearily and with sirens in the background. He had a pain in his legs that he was only vaguely aware of, still fading in and out of consciousness. “Sir?” a voice shouted. “Sir, can you hear me?”

Obi-Wan shifted, hearing the sound of broken glass as he did so. “Yes,” he replied. He blinked deliberately, trying to remember what happened. 

“Sir, please don’t move. The fire department will be here soon,” the person said. “Can you answer some questions for me?” Obi-Wan stopped for a second and nodded. “Okay. What’s your name?” the person asked.

“Obi-Wan Kenobi,” Obi-Wan replied.

“I’m Cody,” the person – Cody – said. “Now, Mr. Kenobi, do you remember what day it is?

“The 28th of October 2020.”

“Yes, that’s good. Do you remember what happened?”

Obi-Wan paused. He remembered clocking off work and calling Anakin to see what he should pick up for dinner, and if Ahsoka needed anything from the supermarket. He remembered getting in his car and driving down the motorway. Some car was driving weirdly behind him. Then he took the exit for the fast-food place Anakin likes…

When Obi-Wan trailed off, Cody hummed slightly. “The car behind you crashed into the back of your car and you both spun out into a ditch,” Cody explained. “Thankfully, your airbags deployed properly.”

“Is the other driver okay?”

“The other driver is fine. They’re with some of my co-workers right now. We’re just waiting for the fire department to get here to get you out.”

Obi-Wan looked around and realised that his car ended up wedged between two trees and that the driver’s side door – which Cody was speaking to him through – was all but completely caved in.

“Do you have a phone anywhere you can reach, sir? So I can inform your family?” Cody asked.

“My phone’s in my bag in the backseat,” Obi-Wan said. He heard some glass moving and the sound of fabric against fabric. “The password is 2728.”

“I have it. Anakin, did you say the name was?”

“Yes. He might yell at you, but he’ll just be scared,” Obi-Wan said. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, sir,” Cody responded. Obi-Wan listened as the phone – which Cody thankfully put on speaker – rang.

When Anakin’s voice came through, Obi-Wan sighed in relief. “Obi-Wan? Are you okay? I saw there was an accident on the motorway near Dex’s.”

“Hello,” Cody responded. “I assume you’re Anakin?”

“Yes, who is this?”

“My name is Cody Fett, I’m a paramedic called out to assist in a car accident that Mr. Kenobi was involved in,” Cody replied. “He is alright as far as we can tell, he doesn’t appear to have a concussion. At most, some cuts and possibly fractures. We’ll be taking him to the nearest hospital as soon as we can.”

Obi-Wan was slightly amazed by how calm Cody seemed. “Can I speak with him?” he asked. Out of the corner of his eyesight, Obi-Wan spotted the familiar bright pink case Ahsoka got him as a joke once. “Anakin, I’m alright. Just meet us at the hospital, I’ll be fine.”

Obi-Wan could hear how Anakin’s voice shook slightly as he replied with an ‘okay’ and responded to Cody’s instructions and address of the hospital. He was proud of Anakin, that was for sure.

“Okay, sir. The fire department is here. We’ll get you out of here and patched up as soon as possible,” Cody said, as another set of sirens got closer.

“Thank you, Cody.”

“It’s my job, sir. We’ll get you back with your family soon.”


	29. I Think I Need A Doctor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kix turned around and paused when he saw General Skywalker in the doorway to medical.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: sleep deprivation

“Kix.”

Kix turned around and paused when he saw General Skywalker in the doorway to medical. “General, what are you doing here?” he asked. The General took a step forward and Kix rushed over to catch him as his legs gave out. “N, get over here and help!” Kix shouted to another medic nearby.

N helped carry the General to the nearest empty bed and leaving as Kix nodded in thanks. “General? What happened?” Kix asked, already scanning him for any noticeable signs of injury. 

“I stood up from my desk and just… felt like I was about to pass out,” the General replied groggily. “Everything feels… fuzzy. Far away.”

Kix hummed in thought. “Did anything happen between the last time you visited and now?”

Silence for a few beats. “No. I’ve just been doing paperwork.”

“How much sleep have you gotten?” The silence was telling. “Sir, have you been getting at least 6 hours a night?” Kix asked.

“I’ve been busy…” General Skywalker responded.

Kix sighed and rubbed his face. “I’m going to assume, and I’m quite sure that I’m right, that you’re suffering from sleep deprivation.” General Skywalker looked slightly confused, but eventually appeared to accept it. “You’re being put on bedrest, right in this medbay until we get to our next destination _or_ you’re needed for something urgent.” 

“Kix, I can sleep in my own bed,” the General complained.

“No, no arguing. The conditions in here are ideal for sleeping in, and surprisingly those beds are very comfortable when you aren’t connected to tubes,” Kix said. “Now, if you can’t sleep at least rest your eyes. I’ll turn down the lights in here and I’ll check back in an hour or so.”

“Fine,” General Skywalker said. He sounded drowsy enough that Kix was certain he would fall asleep shortly.

That would be a story to tell; a Jedi willingly going to medbay. Who would’ve thought?


	30. Now Where Did That Come From?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan placed a hand on his side and swallowed as he felt the familiar warm wetness of blood beneath his shirt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: blood

Obi-Wan gasped as he felt the blaster shot land in his side. As he cut down the final droid, he placed a hand on his side and swallowed as he felt the familiar warm wetness of blood beneath his shirt.

“General, are you okay?” Cody asked as he walked up, taking off his helmet in the process.

“Hm? Oh, yes, Cody. I’m fine,” Obi-Wan replied. “Go check up on the men, I’ll meet you back at camp.”

Cody didn’t look like he believed Obi-Wan, but nodded and went to do what he was asked. Obi-Wan waited until Cody was far enough away to actually examine the wound. It didn’t look like there was any blood on the outside of his shirt, which was good. But he was certain that once he took that off, there would be issues.

As he walked to where the medics had set up, he debated going inside. Cross wouldn’t let him leave if he walked in there, so he decided to go in there once everything else was alright. For now, he could clean up the wound and make sure it wasn’t about to get infected.

He walked inside the tent set up for him (which was too big, really) and rummaged around for the first aid kit. It only had basic stuff, but it would be enough to last him a couple of hours before he could get berated by Cross. He carefully pulled off his shirt, being gentle to pull the fabric away from the wound.

Unfortunately, it seemed that the compression of his shirt was keeping the bleeding to a minimum, and as soon as the compression lessened, blood started to trickle out at a speed Obi-Wan wasn’t quite comfortable with.

He grabbed a towel from the first aid kit and tried to slow the blood down, but it only seemed to make it worse. The towel quickly turned red and Obi-Wan could feel his panic rising. He reached for the comm and called Cody, ignoring the inevitability of a lecture from the Commander.

“General?” Cody answered.

“Cody,” Obi-Wan said, pressing down on the injury. “Get Cross and come to my tent. Quickly, if you don’t mind.”

Thankfully Cody didn’t question it and nodded, ending the call. Obi-Wan felt lightheaded and had to blink to clear his eyesight. He vaguely remembered Cross telling him to lie down if he was bleeding, but he wasn’t sure where the bleeding was coming from, so he just lied down on his bunk and hoped that Cross and Cody would get there in time.

The world went blurry and dark and, just as Obi-Wan finally lost consciousness, he heard a shout of ‘General!’ He hoped that the next time he woke up, it would be in the medical tent rather than in the Force.


	31. Today's Special: Torture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Some of my brothers overheard the longnecks talking about… fusing a clone and a Jedi? Or, making Force-sensitive clones.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: experimentation

When he went to Kamino, he didn’t expect this. He didn’t expect anything he saw, really, but being taken to a room under the pretence that he was going to meet the ‘template’ for the clones wasn’t even on the _list_ of things Obi-Wan thought would happen. 

The room he was taken to was relatively bland, like the entire Kamino facility seemed to be. Mostly white with two hospital-like beds in the middle of the room with some kind of machine hanging above them. As the Kaminoans led him inside, the door was shut behind them and a faint _click_ was heard. Obi-Wan turned around and noticed a clone standing by the door, armour on aside from his helmet.

“I’m going to assume I’m not about to meet Jango Fett?” Obi-Wan asked.

One of the Kaminoans shook his head. “No, Mr. Kenobi. We need you for a more important endeavour than meeting the template,” he said. “2224,” he spoke to the clone, who stiffened as he was addressed, “go lie down.” Obi-Wan frowned at the tone of voice the clone was given, but didn’t speak up.

He watched as the clone walked to the bed on the right and lied down, and as another Kaminoan connected various cables to the clone’s head and underneath his armour. The clone seemed to freeze as one connected to the back of his head, and then he went limp.

“Mr. Kenobi, the other bed if you please,” the first Kaminoan said.

Obi-Wan hesitated. “What’s in it for me?” he asked.

“You aren’t in the position to bargin, Mr. Kenobi.”

Obi-Wan would give him that. He nodded and walked over to the other bed, cautiously lying down in it and watching as the second Kaminoan connected the cables to his skin. It felt tingly as each one was connected, like when he fell asleep on his arm and pins and needles kicked in.

“Thank you for volunteering, Mr. Kenobi,” the Kaminoan said as he walked behind Obi-Wan. “We weren’t sure how we would be able to get a Jedi in here. Thankfully you’re more naïve than you look.”

Just before Obi-Wan could question it, a final cable was connected to the back of his head and his body seized up as painful jolts of what he could only assume was electricity ran through him. After what felt like ages but was most likely a couple of seconds, Obi-Wan was pushed into his own mind to retreat from the pain his body was experiencing.

The first thing he saw in the semi-permanent environment of his mind was the clone – 2224 – from the other bed, looking around in confusion. He finally met eyes with Obi-Wan and stiffened. “Permission to speak, sir?” he asked.

Obi-Wan frowned. “You have permission to speak in here whenever you like,” he said.

2224 looked confused, but didn’t question it. “Where are we, sir?”

“Well, we’re in my mind. Or, the section of my mind connected to the Force,” Obi-Wan replied. “What’s your name, if I may ask?”

“I’m CC-2224, sir,” the clone replied. Obi-Wan shook his head in response.

“No, your _name_ , not your number.”

“Cody, sir,” he said. 

Obi-Wan smiled. “It’s nice to meet you, Cody. I’m–”

Before Obi-Wan could introduce himself, a stab of pain through his head sent him to the ground with a shout of pain and surprise. Cody rushed forwards and kneeled in front of Obi-Wan, hands hovering. The pain ended just as abruptly as it started, leaving Obi-Wan shaking.

“What was that, sir?” Cody asked, a slight hint of worry in his voice.

Obi-Wan shook his head. “I’m not sure, Cody. I shouldn’t be able to be hurt here, that’s what this place is for.” That seemed to worry Cody more, which Obi-Wan wouldn’t blame him for. “Do you know what they wanted to do? Why they connected the cables?” 

“Some of my brothers overheard the longnecks talking about… fusing a clone and a Jedi? Or, making Force-sensitive clones,” Cody said, although he didn’t seem too convinced it was true. “They talked about it like it wasn’t real, though. So I didn’t think too much of it.”

Obi-Wan had heard of some species who share minds between two bodies. Even Force Bonds could be considered something similar. But fusing minds? Two minds in one body? It didn’t sound like it would end in anything but disaster. “Cody, are you sure?”

Just as he asked, another stab of pain ran through Obi-Wan’s head, and it appeared that whatever was causing it affected Cody as well, as he folded in on himself holding his head in pain.

It lasted for a shorter time, then, but it left them both shaking more than the first time. Obi-Wan clenched his hands together in an effort to stop himself shaking, and noticed that Cody’s hands twitched like he was holding back an involuntary movement. “Cody, I believe that whatever they’re doing might be working. That’s how we’re both here, and how we both feel that pain.”

Cody looked at him in disbelief. “Fusing a clone and Jedi? How, like putting our minds into the same body?” he asked

Obi-Wan nodded. “I believe so, Cody. It would be a way to give a clone Force sensitivity, just putting the mind of a Force-user in the same body.” Obi-Wan barely believed it himself as he spoke, but it made the most sense.

Cody stood up and Obi-Wan felt his muscles move to do the same, but he managed to stay on the ground where he was. “How is that going to work? Who has control?”

The environment slowly faded away and Obi-Wan looked up at Cody. “I suppose we’re about to find out.”

Obi-Wan opened his eyes – unsure of when he had fallen unconscious – and immediately felt wrong. Like he was watching life in a movie theatre. “Cody?” he asked, voice echoing slightly.

“Your name’s Obi-Wan,” Cody said, but it felt like Obi-Wan was saying it out loud. But it was Cody’s voice.

“I believe the experiment has worked,” a lon– Kaminoan said.

Cody– Obi-Wan– Whoever it was, was filled with a sense of dread and panic. “Cody, I think we were right,” Obi-Wan said. “Apparently you can fuse the minds of people together.”

“What’s going to happen?” Cody asked out loud.

“If you last long enough, we will have to find some more… _volunteers_ for this experiment,” the longneck in charge sneered. “Thank you for donating your mind, Mr. Kenobi. Force sensitive clones will be a big market, I predict. You’ll make us a lot of money.” 

“Oh dear.” 

“ _Osik_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that's it... damn
> 
> thank you to everyone who commented/kudos'd/bookmarked this fic, i appreciate all of them <3 thank you for sticking around for october, i'll see you all in november o7

**Author's Note:**

> hope you enjoyed!
> 
> come chat with me or ask for a prompt on tumblr [@mousewithapen](https://tumblr.com/blog/mousewithapen) or [@thirteenthmouse](https://tumblr.com/blog/thirteenthmouse) :D
> 
> edit: i have a star wars discord server now! if you like star wars then come say hello! ^-^ <https://discord.gg/AgD73ts>


End file.
